Blake Gillingham joins El Paso Locomotive on loan from Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Blake Gillingham is headed to El Paso Locomotive on loan, giving the 23-year-old a chance to turn a brief MLS sample into steady USL Championship minutes while El Paso adds another option in net. Gillingham brings three MLS starts in 2025, two shutouts in four appearances and a career-high seven saves, numbers that make this more than a simple depth move.

Houston signed Gillingham on Feb. 14, 2025, through the season with club options through 2028 and later exercised the 2026 option. The San Jose native arrived after his junior year at Creighton University, and Houston president of soccer Pat Onstad had already mapped out the early stages of his pro career by putting him behind Andrew Tarbell and Jimmy Maurer and under goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley.

Gillingham’s first look in a Dynamo shirt came March 22, 2025, when he made his debut in a 0-0 draw with Seattle Sounders FC and kept the clean sheet. Eight days later he became the second-youngest goalkeeper to start a game for Houston, again against Seattle, and answered with seven saves, the best single-game total of his MLS career. He finished the 2025 season with two shutouts in four appearances, a small sample, but one that showed he could handle pressure and stay organized behind a back line.

For El Paso, the move fits a team trying to protect a strong start while deepening the position. The Locomotive were unbeaten through seven matches across all competitions at 6-0-1 when they met Houston in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 at Shell Energy Stadium on April 15, and they had scored 20 goals while conceding five before Houston snapped that run with a 4-1 win. Adding Gillingham gives El Paso a goalkeeper with MLS minutes and a clean-sheet record at both the pro and college levels.

His Creighton résumé backs up the upside. In 2024, Gillingham started all 18 matches, played every minute, made 48 saves and posted four clean sheets. He had also earned two BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week awards and a spot on the 2023-24 BIG EAST All-Academic Team, a profile that matches Houston’s view of him as a keeper worth developing and El Paso’s need for stability in goal right now.